What is the difference between debug.write and Trace.write?

Question

What is the difference between debug.write and Trace.write? When should each be used?

Answer 1

Debug.Write is only effective on builds where the DEBUG flag is defined, while Trace.Write is only effective when the TRACE flag is defined.

Answer 2

In the typical release build configuration, the Debug class is disabled and does nothing. Trace, however, can still be used in the release. You would typically use Debug.Write for stuff you only need when debugging and which is too verbose for production.

Here's a good article on Debug, Trace etc: http://www.codeproject.com/KB/trace/debugtreatise.aspx

However, I'm more inclined to use logging libraries like log4net which can be reconfigured on the fly. So you can still turn on full logging in production if you're investigating problems with your application.